


Aunt Gwen To The Rescue!

by RagingHomo



Series: To Be a Family [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Aunt Gwen to the rescue, Awesome Gwen (Merlin), Canon Era, Domestic Fluff, F/M, First Period, Gen, M/M, Merlin and Arthur are completely clueless, Other, Parenthood, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24186361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingHomo/pseuds/RagingHomo
Summary: “I’m bleeding.”That’s weird, he didn’t see any blood on her.“... Down there,” The thirteen year old explained.“Oh.” Merlin and Arthur looked at eachother.Ohh.The King and the Sorcerer had faced a lot in their time together. They had fought witches and bandits. They had ridden into battles where they were outnumbered five to one. They had been stabbed and poisoned and brought back from the dead. But they had never experienced anything quite as terrifying as their little girl, sitting on the foot of the bed and looking up at them expectantly, after just having told them she got her her first… her first… you know.Eliza gets her first period.  Merlin and Arthur have no idea what to do. Luckily, they know someone who does.
Relationships: Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: To Be a Family [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743490
Comments: 12
Kudos: 223





	Aunt Gwen To The Rescue!

The bell had just tolled one when their daughter, Eliza, ran into their room, panic written all over her face. She leaped onto the bed and began to shake her parents awake, which was no small task, seeing how Merlin and Arthur were probably the heaviest sleepers in Camelot.

“Come on, wake up!” She shook Merlin particularly hard, causing the sorcerer to stir.

“Hmm… ‘Liza? What is it, honey?” He sat up a little, yawning and kicking his husband under the covers, who soon sat up as well.

“I think I need to go see the physician.” Both Arthur and Merlin immediately began to check their daughter over for any signs of injury, their worry evident.

“What happened?” Arthur asked.

“I’m bleeding.”

That’s weird, he didn’t see any blood on her.

“... Down there,” The thirteen year old explained.

  
“Oh.” Merlin and Arthur looked at eachother.

_Ohh._

The King and the Sorcerer had faced a lot in their time together. They had fought witches and bandits. They had ridden into battles where they were outnumbered five to one. They had been stabbed and poisoned and brought back from the dead. But they had never experienced anything quite as terrifying as their little girl, sitting on the foot of the bed and looking up at them expectantly, after just having told them she got her her first… her first… you know.

“If you’ll excuse us for a moment,” Arthur said to his daughter as he pulled his husband into the hallway outside of their door.

“What are we going to do?” Arthur stage whispered, not wanting Eliza to hear him from the other side of the door.

“I don’t know,” Merlin matched his tone. “What do women normally do when that happens?”

“How should I know? Is there like a spell that you can use to just make it… go away?”

“No, _Arthur,_ I cannot just magic our daughter’s womanhood away.”

“Well, don’t just dismiss my ideas, suggest something else.”

Merlin thought for a moment. “I’ll stay here and comfort her… you go get an expert.”

+++

“Guinevere!” Arthur called from the other side of the door, pounding on it as hard as he could. It was Lancelot who opened the door. Inside, he could hear their two month old baby, Alice, crying loudly. Arthur cringed. He may have been so panicked that he forgot they had a newborn.

“Sire,” he greeted, voice strained with annoyance, bags evident under his eyes, “Is there any particular reason you're outside our house calling for my wife at a quarter past one in the morning?”

Arthur suddenly felt very inconsiderate. To piss off Lancelot was no small feat, and he felt bad that he had interrupted their night. But he was here for Eliza. “I need to speak with Guinevere, please. It is a matter of life or death, I’m afraid.”

Lancelot eyed him up and down. “Alright. Love, Arthur needs to talk to you,” He announced and took Baby Alice from arms as soon as she reached the door.

She stepped outside and closed the door, dulling the sound of the crying child slightly. “What?” She asked, clearly not amused by this late night visit.

“It’s Elizabeth.” Her face softened at that, eyes portraying her concern.

“Is everything alright? Is she hurt?”

“No. Well, yes. Kind of,” Gwen looked at him, concerned. “She has that thing… You know, the thing that happens to girls when they become women? The… curse, if you will. I’m pretty sure they’re controlled by the moon or the tides or somethi-”

“Oh for goodness sake, Arthur. I know what you’re talking about! She has her monthlies. Now please stop trying to explain it and just use the word.”

“I don’t think there’s any need for that,” said the King. Gwen sighed.

“Just take me to her.”

+++

“She’s asleep,” Gwen announced when she returned to Merlin and Arthur’s chambers nearly an hour later. The parents let out a sigh of relief.

“Which now leaves you two to me! What the hell was that? You scared that poor girl senseless about something completely natural that happens to _all_ women. Were you two simpletons really not expecting this? Eliza is thirteen years old! Surely, you two have to know enough about ladies to have seen this coming, to be prepared. But, no. Instead you come into my chambers at all hours of night and wake _my_ husband and _my_ baby. You are absolutely hopeless.”

“We’re sorry, Gwen,” Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. In hindsight, they probably should have seen this coming.

“And _you,_ ” the woman set her sights on the sorcerer. “Your idiot husband, I’d expect this from, but, you, Merlin, were the physician’s assistant for _six_ years. You’re telling me that nobody ever came to you and Gaius with this problem in six years?” And Arthur had to look at his husband, because, really, this was all his fault. He should’ve known what to do.

“They mostly went to Gaius,” was Merlin’s weak defense.

“I can’t imagine why,” Gwen said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Now did you need anything else or can I get back to my child now?”

“We’re good. Thank you, Guinevere.”

“Thanks, Gwen!”

She gave Merlin and Arthur each a kiss on the cheek before she left. “Anytime,” She said, and she meant it, too.

+++  
Early that next morning, a very tired looking Guinevere approached Merlin, Arthur, Eliza, and Adam in the courtyard, baby Alice in her arms.

“Good morning, ‘Liza, I trust your feeling better?” The girl smiled at her brightly. Gwen returned the smile and ruffled Adam’s hair gently.

She then turned to the two adults. “Merlin, Arthur. Alice was up all night last night, and now she’s in a very foul mood, as am I,” she informed the pair. They looked away guiltily. “Sorry,” Arthur muttered.

“Oh, don’t be,” she grinned cheerfully at the King and the court sorcerer. “Because I’m not watching her today, you are!” With that she shoved the now crying baby into Arthur’s arms and turned away.

Arthur had the same look in his eye that the deer he hunted had right before they got shot. “Wait! Don’t you have a nanny for this sort of thing? I’ll pay for one!”

Gwen turned back for a moment. “Well, our nanny didn’t come pounding on our door in the middle of the night, did she? It hardly seems fair that she should have to deal with the aftermath. Now, if you’ll excuse me, your highness, Lance and I have a nap to take.”

Arthur eyed the tiny creature in his arms suspiciously. He was never too great with babies, and they didn’t adopt Adam or Eliza until they were much older. Baby Alice was sobbing uncontrollably, now, and the royal family was getting some odd looks from people passing by.

“Hold her for a moment, will you, Merlin?”

“Sure,” Arthur very gently handed over the newborn to the sorcerer making sure to support her head. Merlin cradled her in his arms bouncing and cooing.

In that moment, Arthur fell in love with his husband all over again. He could be so strong, yet so gentle. He was a wonderful and loyal partner and an even better father. He was truly grateful to have him in his life, and somehow he knew that whatever they had to face, be it bandits or first periods, or babysitting for a friend, they’d get through it together.

It almost made him feel really bad about what happened next. _Almost._

He gave Merlin a kiss on the forehead, grabbed Adam and Eliza’s hands and shouted, “Run!”

They were already halfway to the training grounds when he heard Merlin scream, “You get back here, Arthur Pendragon! You are in so much trouble!”


End file.
